Menu

UCA DEEP

The UCA College of Education was awarded a $75,000 grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to begin work to establish a UCA Normal School Center for Educational Equity (NSCEE). In preparation for the center, the college has initiated a partnership with the Disruptive Educational Equity Project (DEEP) to create UCA DEEP.

Partnership with DEEP

  • Two-year grant from Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to provide funds to establish UCA DEEP.
  • UCA DEEP will work with DEEP to establish the program and training (six day workshops that covers the six key concepts).
  • UCA will designate DEEP train the trainers. These individuals will go through 6-month training that covers the six key stages and facilitator training.
  • UCA DEEP will establish two trainings: DEEP will conduct the first two trainings.
    • University Focused D.E.E.P- Spring 2020
    • Community Partners D.E.E.P – Fall 2021
  • In the third and consecutive years, UCA DEEP will conduct all training for University Focused and Community Partners which will position UCA as a leader in education equity for the region.

Stages of DEEP

  1. Reckoning – This stage specifically targets those who are at the beginning of their equity journeys. The initial workshop helps participants scratch the surface of what it means to be equitable and where equity may or may not be present in their lives. The workshop begins to lay the groundwork for later stages, where vulnerability amongst participants will be key.
  2. Narratives – Narratives provides a space for individuals to reflect on and share their personal stories of racial equity with one another, in an effort to make this work personal and build connections within the community and organization.
  3. Inner Work – Participants are asked to look inward to see how instances of equity or inequity have personally affected them and how they might be perpetuating inequity in their own lives, intentionally or unintentionally.
  4. Critical Race Theories – This stage introduces different theories that help make sense of inequity as it exists today, specifically pertaining to race. This educational phase is crucial for newcomers and veterans alike, as they prepare to discuss how they can bring what they have learned back into the larger community to make lasting change.
  5. Transformative Culture – Now that the individual commitment has been established, this stage gets practical, helping participants to identify key players and stakeholders they can partner with to implement clear, specific changes in their communities. This stages support teams and individuals to consider how to reshape their existing organizational culture to align with visions, missions, and strategy related to racial equity.
  6. Building Capacity – The final phase of our workshop series focuses on training participants to move additional individuals, and teams through the deep and complex work of dismantling inequity. Participants are provided with tools such as equity design thinking, group immunity analysis, multi-cultural team building, and equity leadership.

Upon completion of all six key stages, each participant should feel empowered to invest personal time and energy into meaningful equity work.